The Health Ministry has ordered an inquiry into reports that expired Tamiflu medication was used to treat critical patients in intensive care at Mater Dei Hospital.

The announcement was made by the ministry last night after the Times of Malta submitted a set of questions based on information that reached the newsroom earlier in the day.

Sources said it had already been indicated that the medicine in question should be disposed of. However, according to the reports reaching this newspaper, at some point last May the hospital pharmacy ran out of the medication and it has not been available since. In the meantime, expired stock was being used though it was only being administered to patients who were in critical condition, the sources said.

Tamiflu is prescribed to patients with the H1N1 virus, also known as the swine flu, to relieve some of the symptoms of the virus, which can be fatal.

The use of expired medicine is not uncommon, because some products are still effective even after their sell-by date

A special form had first to be filled before the expired medication was handed out by the pharmacy, the sources added.

According to the sources, though medics were made to sign the form, neither the patients themselves nor relatives were informed of or consulted about the use of medicine that was past its expiry date.

A ministry spokeswoman insisted the authorities were not aware that expired medication was being used, however, the sources that spoke to this newspaper expressed doubts.

They felt it was difficult for patients to have been administered expired medicine by medics and paramedics without the blessing of all the authorities or at least their knowledge. The sources said that though Tamiflu was not available at the hospital pharmacy, it was readily available at other pharmacies.

When making the announcement about the inquiry, the ministry insisted that the Health Department’s policy stipulated that only licensed medicine was used, adding that no out-of-date medicinal products should be used.

The sources noted, however, that use of expired medicine was not uncommon in the hospital, because some products were effective even after their sell-by date.

claire.caruana@timesofmalta.com